Winners 2003
On November 13, 2003, the Commission des services juridiques conferred the 2003 Robert-Sauvé Award to Mrs. Nikole DuBois and, posthumously, to Mr. Justice Robert Sacchitelle. Me Pierre Bélanger, Chairman of the Commission des services juridiques, presented the Award.
The Robert-Sauvé Award honours the exceptional contribution of individuals to promoting the rights of the less fortunate. It is usually comprised of two components, the General Public Award and the Network Award.
« General Public » category
Mrs. Nikole DuBois |
 |
Photo: Paul Ducharme
In the photograph, from left to right: Mrs. Nikole Dubois, recipient of the General Public Award of the Award, Mrs. Denise Lévesque, spouse of the late Honourable Mr. Justice Robert Sacchitelle, who received the Network Award |
Mrs. Nikole DuBois
The Award for the General Public Award was conferred on Mrs. Nikole DuBois, an educational psychologist and public educator in the Témiscouata and Lower St. Lawrence region. Mrs. DuBois has been involved in public education in her region for over thirty years and has supported a multitude of working-class struggles. She was the driving force behind Antidote, an educational program that promotes collective awareness and aims to provide greater personal and social autonomy for women. The Antidote program has been taught to more than one out of ten women in Témiscouata and is also taught in several regions of Québec, in other Canadian provinces as well as in Europe and Africa. Mrs. DuBois is the author of the Antidote teaching guide and trains those who teach the program. She is also the coordinator of the global Antidote network. Mrs. DuBois' unwavering work has allowed women to improve their living conditions and increase their ability to better care for themselves.
« Legal Aid Network » category
Mr. Justice Robert Sacchitelle |
![]() |
| |
Mr. Justice Robert Sacchitelle
The Award for the Network Award was conferred, posthumously, on Mr. Justice Robert Sacchitelle. Mr. Justice Sacchitelle, who was admitted to the Québec Bar in 1964, became a permanent staff member of the Montréal legal aid bureau on January 8, 1973. He initially held various administrative positions and, in 1975, returned to the criminal and penal division to devote himself entirely to defending the rights of his clients. Having been assigned primarily to the criminal trial section, he pleaded numerous well-known cases and distinguished himself among his peers. Throughout his legal career, he taught in several institutions and was the president of professional associations such as the Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal. He was also an active member of the Société de criminologie du Québec. On January 9, 1992, he was appointed to the judiciary as a judge of the Youth Division of the Court of Québec in Montréal. He passed away in the spring of 2000. Mr. Justice Sacchitelle devoted his life to defending the less fortunate in our society, representing them brilliantly and with determination. He did this by choice, with the conviction that it was his mission to do so.